ACAUT questions Finance Dept on CSS funds

DIMAPUR, MARCH 5 (MExN): The Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) today stated that the Finance Department needs to answer questions regarding the utilization of central funds in the state.  

A press note from the ACAUT Nagaland informed that a total of Rs. 1,182 Crore for 76 Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) for the period 2016-17 was released to the State Finance Department by the Centre. It added that the state government “gave almost Rs. 120 Crores as its 10% state share.”  

In 2015-16, ACAUT informed that the state share was roughly Rs. 135 Crore, or 10% of Rs. 1,353.52 Crore. Consequently, the combined state share figures for the last two years, that is, 2015-17, comes to roughly Rs. 250 Crores.  

Taking this into consideration, the ACAUT questioned that “when the state government could contribute a massive Rs. 250 Crores for 218 CSS for the periods 2015-17, why were the teachers treated differently and made to undergo untold suffering with the lame excuse that the state government didn’t have enough funds to give its RMSA and SSA shares?”  

It further pointed out that 14th FC had released 5229.56 Crores (2015-17) to the state, “parked with the Finance Department,” and questioned as to “what prevented the utilization of this amount to pay for the 10% state share towards release of SSA and RMSA funds?”  

ACAUT also said that the Nagaland State Finance Commissioner “is yet to answer why the Hindi teachers are still being denied salary payment for the last 9 months because the Hindi teachers’ salary component comes under 100% CSS.”  

It meanwhile alleged that the “lion’s share of the 218 CSS are ghost projects which will never be implemented on the ground, meaning, the CSS is only a means to enrich politicians and bureaucrats.” The ACAUT asked the Finance Commissioner “how this anomaly is being repeated year after year at the cost of the teachers and the student community?”  

It also observed that the Finance Commissioner is “yet to pointedly refute the very serious charge that the Finance Department is in the unhealthy business of deducting 10% commission on all the developmental funds released to the concerned departments.”  

If the allegation is untrue, the Finance Commissioner has a bounden duty to refute it but hiding behind ‘wild allegation’ counter-argument has only given rise to suspicion that perhaps the allegation is true, the ACAUT added.